Ports of embarkation

Ready to embark on a cruise journey on the St Lawrence to discover Canada and New England?

Departing from either Montréal or Québec

The Province of Québec is home to two cruise ship ports of embarkation/ disembarkation, one at Montréal and one at Québec.

It is therefore possible to depart from (or terminate) your Destination Saint Lawrence cruise at either Montréal or Québec. The cruise season generally extends from May through to the end of October. Your itinerary and Saint Lawrence ports of call visited will vary depending on your chosen cruise line.

Some of the most popular cruise itineraries include as follows:

Canada-New England Tour: These 6-, 8- and 14-night tours depart from Boston, journey up the coast to Atlantic Canada and down the Saint Lawrence to either Québec or Montréal.

Canada-New England + New York: These 8-, 10- and 14-night tours depart from New York, travel up the coast to ports of call in Atlantic Canada, and continue on via the Saint Lawrence to either Québec or Montréal, stopping in at one or more Québec-based ports of call en route.

Transatlantic Crossing: These longer crossings range in duration from between twenty and sixty nights, depart from the UK or Germany, and include several stopovers in Europe before setting out on the transatlantic segment of the journey to Atlantic Canada and then on to either Québec or Montréal.

Montréal – Gaspé – Iles de la Madeleine: These 7-day return tours operate between Montréal and the Iles de la Madeleine and include a stopover at Gaspé.

The following cruise companies feature departures from either Montréal or Québec:

Cruises departing from/terminating at Montréal:

Aida Cruises (AIDABella)

Blount Small Ship Adventure (Grande Caribe, Grande Mariner)

CTMA (Le Vacancier)

Hapag Lloyd (Europa)

Holland America Line (Maasdam)

Oceania Cruises (Regatta)

Plantours (Hamburg)

Pearl Seas Cruises (Pearl Mist)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (Seven Seas Navigator)

Silversea (Silver Whisper)

Transocean (Astor)

Travel Dynamics International (Yorktown)

Yacht of Seabourn (Seabourn Quest)

For the 2014 season, a total of 39 departures are scheduled from Montréal.

Cruises departing from/terminating at Québec:

Compagnie du Ponant (Le Boréal)

Crystal Cruises (Crystal Serenity)

CTMA (Le Vacancier)

Holland America Line (Eurodam, Veendam)

Norwegian Cruise Line (Norwegian Dawn)

Princess Cruises (Ruby Princess)

Royal Caribbean International (Legend of the Seas)

For the 2014 season, a total of 23 departures are scheduled from Québec.

Whether your cruise departs from Montréal, Québec, Boston, New York or from a port in Europe, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (located twenty minutes from the Cruise Terminal in Old Montréal or 2 hours 30 minutes from Ross Gaudreault Terminal at Québec) provides ready access to your chosen destination. Consult the Getting there section to view available transport options.